THEM COULEE BOYS - DANCING IN THE DIM LIGHT

2016 - Self Released

Alt. country has often been loosely defined as 'punked up country,' in which case Them Coulee Boys come close to qualifying as such, or they would if there weren't even more strings to their bow than that popular if restrictive genre, or is it sub genre? That seems to be the condition we have reached nowadays where we have to label everything. I suppose I'm guiltier than most, with a high percentage of my reviews applying generic labels and mixes to, well, just about everything. Whilst I'm not a lover of labels I do console myself with the thought that few people will buy an album unless they have at least some idea of the category an album fits in, no matter how loosely, so I try to come up with some sort of generic description. That preamble was to try to disguise the fact that whilst I'm writing I am actually trying to come up with a clever, snappy description to apply to Them Coulee Boys, but the sad fact is that I'm struggling. Certainly 'punked up country' does apply but that doesn't take into account the quality of the writing, the often slightly unusual arrangements, or the tremendous flowing ballads, the upbeat rock 'n' roll or the occasional, more than a nod to bluegrass. If there is a problem and I'm not saying there is one, although some who are rooted to a particular style will no doubt disagree, it is that all of the above descriptions are accurate but are also inaccurate. The styles are there as described but there is a strong level of progressiveness, in many ways a 'prog' version of each if that makes any sense, and I know it doesn't! The four members of this talented band that is able to exercise so much originality in and around the above genres (and sub genres!) are Soren Staff on lead vocals, acoustic guitar and piano, Beau Janke plays banjo, electric banjo, harmonica, piano, synth and backing vocals, Jens Staff on mandolin and backing vocals with Michael Aschbacher on bass, kick drum, drums and vocals. They were further assisted by Evan Middlesworth who also recorded and mixed the album on pedal steel, percussion and baritone guitar and Eve Wilczewski on violin. All ten of the excellent songs were written by Soren Staff, although he was helped out on one track by Eve Wilczewski, with the band arranging and producing the album at Pine Hollow Audio just outside of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Those songs all have incredible depth and portray someone who is beset by doubts in just about every aspect of life, in many ways bringing a realism to some extraordinary songs that I can't really imagine anyone else being able to open themselves up to. Despite the fact that the stories could relate to a variety of different characters the thought persists that it relates to just one person, perhaps Soren Staff himself, in which case he deserves great credit for having the ability and desire to open up so many of his deep inner feelings to the listener The opening song, 10ft tall, gets underway with handclaps and kick drum before being joined by harmonica and Soren Staff's vocal that has a nice evocative edge to it, followed by banjo and band harmonies with mandolin. It is a song that could easily grace an Avett or Felice Brothers album on a tale that creates an atmosphere of anything being possible when you're young! That is followed by Sunset Sermons, a song that starts out slow and moody with acoustic guitar, bass and lead vocal, eventually lifted by a fuller sound on a gorgeous ballad that gradually builds to a crescendo with guitars, piano and percussion, before falling back again and being lifted by a chugging sound and band harmonies before ending with full power on a quite epic tale. The mask is introduced by electric guitar and rich choral harmonies on a song that has a beautiful twangy guitar underpinning the body of the song with steel guitar and chiming mandolin adding to the haunting 'country' atmosphere. The lead vocal is again helped out by excellent band harmonies on a tremendous tale that delves into the effort required to be different and stand out from the crowd. The instrumentation gradually speeds up and takes on a 'progressive' countrified feel with electric guitar going off into other areas at high speed before the song ends. On Take her easy there is a lovely mandolin and guitar from the start along with Soren Shafts vocal and a nice loose percussion and bass on a song of lost love. Heard it all before you might say, but this song as with most of the others just changes the perspective slightly making the song more detailed and personal. It is that depth of reaching into the inner feelings of the subjects of the songs that adds to the originality of the album. Often sad, but always real life whether the writers or not, but the lyrics are such that anyone can relate to them rather than being pure fantasy. Add some memorable melodies and the numerous peaks and troughs and there really isn't much more you could wish for from an album. Finally Want and need has a mellow piano intro on another song about the depth of human feelings this time with him being honest with others but lying to himself. Midway the mandolin and guitar take on a speeded up bluegrass feel with no lyrics on this extended break. When the singer comes back the song has completely changed from reflective to aggressive before falling back to just the piano and the more suppressed vocals before again building to a crescendo at the end. There are many peaks and troughs in the depth and tempos of these songs, giving most an epic, virtually cinematic feel. The albums ten songs clock in at a total of over fifty two minutes with the shortest being 3.41 and the longest 7.59. I give those timings as a guide to the epic, cinematic feel of some of the songs. It is that longevity that helps create the epic atmosphere, giving the songs the time they need for the mood changes, the changes in tempo and the small variations in instrumentation; something you rarely find in music with stylistic similarities to this excellent recording. This really is a tremendous and memorable album that will be added to my ever lengthening list of albums that will be in the mix for top albums of 2016!